20:30 16/09/2009 ASTRAKHAN (South Russia), September 16 (RIA Novosti) - Several members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are involved in creating three joint regional air defense structures as part of the CIS integrated air defense network.

Members of the Coordinating Committee on Air Defense under the CIS Defense Ministers' Council met in Astrakhan on Wednesday and discussed setting up East European, Caucasus,

and Central Asian air defense networks.

The CIS integrated air defense network was set up by 10 CIS member countries on February 10, 1995. The main purpose of the network is to secure member-states' airspace, including through early warning of missile attacks and coordination of joint efforts to neutralize potential aerial threats.

The East European network will be set up by Russia and Belarus in line with an agreement signed in February on the joint protection of the Russia-Belarus Union State's airspace and the creation of an integrated regional air defense network.

It will comprise five Air Force units, 10 anti-aircraft units, five technical service and support units and one electronic warfare unit, and will be placed under the command of a Russian or Belarusian Air Force or Air Defense Force senior commander.

Belarus has several Russian-made S-300 air defense battalions on combat duty, and has long been negotiating the purchase of advanced S-400 systems from Russia, which should be available in 2010.

The Caucasus air defense network will be set up by Russia and Armenia. The draft agreement is still in the works and needs additional negotiations to ensure "clear principles of the deployment and command of air defense forces."

"The draft document will be ready by the end of 2009," said Col. Nikolai Babayan, chief of Armenia's Air Defense Forces.

Unlike the East European and Central Asian commands, the airspace of the Caucasus network will not be continuous as Georgia and Azerbaijan separate Russia and Armenia.

Maj. Gen. Okas Saparov, deputy commander of Kazakhstan's Air Defense Forces, said that a working group has been formed to discuss setting up a joint Central Asian regional air defense network, which will involve Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

"Most of the issues dealing with drafting up an agreement [on a joint air defense network] have been resolved," Saparov said.

Kazakhstan signed a contract with Russia in March on the purchase of S-300 air defense missile systems, while Russia operates an airbase in the city of Kant, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

YALTA, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - Units from a joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will conduct exercises involving live firing drills in August-September 2011, the Russian defense minister said on Wednesday.

Defense ministers from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine met in Crimea to discuss military ties and adopt the agenda of military cooperation for 2011.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said after the meeting that the Combat Commonwealth 2011 air defense exercises at the Ashuluk firing range in the Astrakhan Region near the Caspian Sea were top of the agenda for next year.

Conducted annually, such exercises are part of efforts to build a joint air defense shield for the CIS, a loose association of former Soviet republics. An integrated air defense network was set up by 10 CIS-member countries February 10, 1995.

The main purpose of the network is to ensure the protection of the member-countries' airspace, early warning of missile attacks and coordination of joint efforts to neutralize potential air threats.

The CIS network currently comprises seven air defense brigades, 46 units equipped with S-200 and S-300 air defense missile systems, 23 fighter units equipped with MiG-29, MiG-31 and Su-27 aircraft, 22 electronic support units and two detachments of electronic warfare.

Joint CIS Air Defense System is a unified system that comprises air defense units and elements of the former Soviet republics under control of AA Defense Coordinating Committee of the CIS. Currently there are de-facto 6 members of JADS: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. It was established by 1995 Almaty agreement. This agreement was also signed by Georgia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, however Georgia and Turkmenistan ceased their membership in 1997, while Ukraine and Uzbekistan are maintaining cooperation with Russia on bilateral basis.

General aims of Joint AD System are the following: Protection of air boundaries of the CIS member states; Joint control of the CIS airspace; Monitoring of aerospace posture; Air/missile strike early warning and coordinated repsponse to it.

The Aerospace Defence force in Russia has the task of monitoring and policing the airspace above Russia from the ground up into orbit... I wonder if they will consider cooperation with neighbour states, or go further and actually integrate them.

GarryB wrote:Wonder if this will involve sharing border patrol duties?

Dunno, but it's been around for a while. I imagine that this was not very complicated to set up, given that they all used to be part of the same IADS in the first place and still use Soviet/Russian/etc. radars and weapon systems.

Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan will conduct joint command-and-staff air defense drills on October 5-16, the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The Chistoye Nebo (Clear Sky) 2012 exercise will be held in Kyrgyz, Tajik and Kazakh airspace and involve the interception of cruise missiles.

Russia will be represented by a group of experts from Air Force staff and MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors and an A-50 Mainstay AWACS plane deployed at the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan.

Kazakhstan’s three airbases will host the active phase of the drills. The former Soviet republic will also deploy five air defense brigades and command staff.

In line with the concept of the exercises, Kyrgyzstan will play the role of a ‘designated adversary’ with its L-39 Albatros combat trainers and Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft.

Tajikistan will be represented by Air Force command staff.

The exercises will be held as part of military cooperation among countries-members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and emphasize the air defense of the bloc from the southern direction.

In line with the concept of the exercises, Kyrgyzstan will play the role of a ‘designated adversary’ with its L-39 Albatros combat trainers and Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft.

Awesome... they might get some tips from exRNZAF Skyhawk pilots... most of them spent their day pretending to be low flying subsonic anti ship missiles... wouldn't be that much of a stretch to pretend to be cruise missiles...

Russian Defense Ministry intends to transfer Belarus four anti-aircraft missile system S-300. On this, as reported by ITAR-TASS , Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu after a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, Lieutenant General Yuri Zhadobin. Delivery systems will be made ​​in the framework of the development of a unified regional air defense system.Russia and Belarus signed an agreement to form a united regional air defense system in February 2009. It is expected that this system will form the basis of the Eastern zone of the CIS unified air defense. At the end of 2012 it was planned to put into operation a digital control system unified air defense system of Russia and Belarus, the management of which will be carried out in an automated mode.Earlier it was reported that adopted a common Russian-Belarusian air defense systems have to stand up anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 and "Tor-M2", which will be supplied to Belarus on favorable terms. General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces to assess the needs of air defense missile systems in 16 battalions of S-400, which will have to provide protection from cruise missiles from the West. Not excluded that a single air defense radar and get the type "Voronezh-DM".As part of the formation of a unified air defense system of the CIS will also create the Caucasian and Central Asian zone defense.At the end of January 2013 an agreement on the formation of a unified air defense was signed with Kazakhstan, which until the end of 2013 can be freely supplied C-300 .Expected to join the CIS unified air defense as Armenia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.After the formation of the unified regional air defense systems will be developed rules of combat duty and exchange of information within the CIS air defense.

Huh .... lots of interesting information.

- Belarus will be given 4 batteries of used Russian S-300PMU1 from the stocks- Russian need in the western sector calls for 16 S-400 batteries - all new digital command and control will manage combined Russia-Belarus air defense- Kazahstan is paper cleared for deliveries of air defense systems (there was a talk about 12 S-300PMU2 - that questiong will actualize in the coming months)- Formation of Western/Causasian and Central Asian zone defense- Armenia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will be integrated

MOSCOW, December 9 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian fighter jet unit has arrived at a Belarusian airbase where it will be stationed on alert duty as part of an integrated regional air defense network, Belarusian news agency BelaPAN reported.

Four Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets and technical personnel have been based at the Baranovichi airbase, BelaPAN said on Sunday.

The Russian Defense Ministry recently announced plans to deploy a fighter jet regiment in Belarus by 2015. The majority of the planes will be stationed at a future Russian airbase in Lida, a town in northwestern Belarus, near the Polish and Lithuanian borders.

The airbase will be Russia’s first on Belarusian territory in modern times and will consolidate defense cooperation under the auspices of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, defense officials in Moscow have said.

European defense officials have bristled at evidence of Russia’s increased military deployments close to NATO’s border, claiming it fuels tension with former Communist bloc countries in Central Europe and the Baltic States.

But Moscow has repeatedly said Russian-Belarus defense ties are a legitimate effort to ensure a solid defense for the countries’ Union State.

Russia and Belarus signed an agreement on the joint protection of the Union State's airspace and the creation of an integrated regional air defense network in February 2009.

The network reportedly comprises five air force units, 10 air defense units, five technical service and support units, and one electronic warfare unit.

It is part of the integrated air defense network of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose alliance comprising nine post-Soviet nations.

The Minister and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said after talks with his Kazakh counterpart Adilbek Jaksybekov. How many complexes and on what conditions Russia will supply Kazakhstan, is not specified.

yup - its for free (damn) but I think those might later on be replaced with S-400. Either way those are S-300PS that Russia is withdrawing anyway.

It seems Russia will all S-300 complexes replaced by S-400 give to Belarus and Kazakhstan, so they will still be active in common IADS. Maybe even Iran will get some battalions from replaced S-300. I don't know, how many they order.

medo wrote:It seems Russia will all S-300 complexes replaced by S-400 give to Belarus and Kazakhstan, so they will still be active in common IADS. Maybe even Iran will get some battalions from replaced S-300. I don't know, how many they order.

The deliveries of Russian-produced S-300 air defense systems to Kazakhstan will be started this year, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Minister of Defense of Russian Federation, General of the Army, Sergey Shoygu.

"This year we will deliver enough S-300 air defense systems to grant the protection of Kazakhstan’s airspace", — Shoygu said after completing negotiations with his Kazakh colleague, Adilbek Dzhaksibekov.

The number of S-300 systems to be delivered and the details of the contract have not been unveiled.

Commander-in-Chief of Kazakhstan’s Air Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Sorokin, said in 2010 that Moscow will provide Astana with S-300 air defense systems for free. He also said that the number of divisions to be formed is about 10.

However, deputy head of Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Konstantin Biryulin, said in May 2012 that the agreement for delivery of S-300 systems was not finalized in 2010.

S-300 is the air defense system intended for protection of large industrial and administrative facilities, military bases and control posts from air and space attacks.

At present Kazakh Air Defense Forces are operating a small number of S-300 air defense systems mostly used for protecting the capital of the country.

In addition, the Kazakh army also operates older air defense systems outmatched by S-300 in terms of combat capabilities. The Kazakhstan’s officials unveiled their intention to upgrade the systems operated by the Air Defense Forces several years ago.

TR1 wrote:So we give them S-300s for free, and still have to pay to use Baikanur?

Hopefully they at least pay for new missile rounds.

It seems that Belarus and Kazahstan will have to pay for its repair and modernization (new round too I guess).

But then there were problems. According to Radio "Azattyk" in Kazakhstan started talking about the fact that these complexes are not new and in need of repair. If you recall, a similar discontent at the time expressed and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, when in 2007-2008 Russia gratis put brotherly country four divisions of S-300. "Air defense presented, and money for their recovery, and still have to pay" - outraged then Lukashenko. But still forked paid ... Of course, Kazakhstan will have to fork out too, to upgrade previously used Russian complexes. But still it is beneficial for the state's defense. For example, five battalions of S-300, which are intended for the Russian Federation to Iran in the contract, worth $ 800 million modernization will be much cheaper, especially on the agreement on military-technical cooperation, it will be based on domestic prices, and the training of Kazakhstan specialists at all is free of charge.

LINK

It also seems that the systems in question are not the S-300PS/PT, Russia is withdrawing from service but the ones from its stocks.

MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) – More than 150 representatives of the Russian Air Force and their colleagues from Belarus will meet this week to discuss joint exercises and test the integration of the countries’ air forces and air defense systems, a spokesman for the Russian military said Monday.

The meeting will take place at the Ashuluk Firing Range in Russia’s southern Astrakhan region from Monday to Friday, with Russian Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev overseeing the operations.

Russian Air Force spokesman Igor Klimov told reporters the drills would include S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as Pantsir-S hybrid anti-aircraft artillery and missile systems.

“Su-34, Su-35, Yak-130, and MiG-29 military aircraft will carry out bombing and missile launches. The practical part of the drill will involve Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters,” Klimov said.

ASTANA, May 15 (RIA Novosti) – Kazakhstan’s upper house of parliament ratified Thursday an agreement with Russia on establishing a joint regional air defense shield, a Novosti-Kazakhstan correspondent has reported.

The shield will become part of the unified air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a loose alliance of former Soviet states, comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

“The forces of the unified regional air defense system of Kazakhstan and Russia are led by a commander appointed by the Kazakh and Russian presidents upon the recommendation of defense ministers from both sides,” a committee on international affairs, defense and security said in a report.

The planned shield would be used only in times of war, while in time of peace the respective agencies together with the commander will fulfill only routine duties, a report says.

Moscow signed an agreement to set up an integrated regional air defense network with Kazakhstan last year. Russia has such a network with Belarus, while a similar deal with Armenia has been in the works for some time.

Russian Reconnaissance Officers Master Drone Use at Foreign Military Base

YEREVAN, July 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russian reconnaissance officers stationed at the 102nd military base in Armenia are currently in training, including specific exercise to practice the use of unmanned air vehicles or drones, the press service of the Southern Military District told RIA Novosti on Friday.

The training takes over 300 Russian reconnaissance officers to the height of more than 2,000 meters (approx. 6,500 feet) above sea level to perfect quick and safe maneuvers through rocky terrain, mountain rivers, and canyons both individually and as a combat unit.

The focal point of the military exercise is the weapons practice in addition to the core combat disciplines. The course in tactical and special training of the combat units will culminate in a three-day competitive ascent to the mountain peaks of "Zamok" and "Sheggoel" (8,200 feet) with officers having to advance through mountain rivers, to locate caches with extra food and ammunition, to repel an assault of a simulated enemy, and to set up a camp.The northern Armenian city of Gyumri hosts the 102nd Russian military base, which is part of a joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Russia and Armenia extended the contract for the military base on August 20, 2010. The initial treaty was signed in 1995 for a term of 25 years, and will be valid until 2044. The area of geographic and strategic responsibility of the base, equipped with MiG-29 fighters and several batteries of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, was extended upon the latest prolongation.

MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Combat readiness tests of the integrated air defense system of members of the Commonwealth of Independent States /CIS/ have been completed successfully, the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

“Results of trainings have once again proved the reliability and efficiency of the integrated missile defense system in protecting air space of CIS member states,” Lieutenant General Alexander Golovko, the commander of Russia’s Airspace Defense Forces, who headed the training tests, said.

The training involved about 100 warplanes and helicopters, including fighters, attack aircraft and bombers. Apart from that, more than 160 units of radio-technical troops and more than 40 air defense missile systems of the integrated missile defense system, took part.